Republic F84
- Episode aired Feb 5, 2009
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
5
YOUR RATING
Photos
Paul Moga
- Self - Host
- (as Paul 'Max' Moga)
Storyline
Featured review
A Perfectly Liminal Airplane.
The early post-war jet fighters weren't very adventurous in their design -- straight wings, upright tails. They looked much like rather streamlined World War II stalwarts.
The first American fighter of importance was Lockheed's F80, Shooting Star, which had clean lines but no juice. It was briefly replaced by Republic's F-104, Thunderjet, the subject of this program, but it hegemony was brief because it, too, was underpowered, needed a rocket-assisted take off, and was far from nimble. It was replaced by North American's F-86, Saberjet.
The early models of the F-84 looked rather neat, like a tube or a cigar humidor, with an opening in the nose and another in the tail, as if the jet engine had been supplied and the airplane built around it. It had nothing particularly new but was a summation of what at the time was known about jets and about aeronautical engineering.
At the outbreak of war in Korea, the USAF found itself with three different airplanes. The F-86 was obviously the fighter of the group. The F-84 went through several models and was adapted for the ground attack role. It carried a good deal of ordinance and could be fitted with a nuclear bomb. In addition to the usual six .50 caliber machine guns favored by the USAF at the time, it could carry a number of 5-inch rockets, useful against tanks. The low speed and lack of maneuverability were no handicap in attacking ground targets.
Through the 50s and 60s an enormous variety of models were developed for certain niche roles, such as reconnaissance, and they were used as front line airplanes by several countries. The last was retired by Turkey in 1982.
The first American fighter of importance was Lockheed's F80, Shooting Star, which had clean lines but no juice. It was briefly replaced by Republic's F-104, Thunderjet, the subject of this program, but it hegemony was brief because it, too, was underpowered, needed a rocket-assisted take off, and was far from nimble. It was replaced by North American's F-86, Saberjet.
The early models of the F-84 looked rather neat, like a tube or a cigar humidor, with an opening in the nose and another in the tail, as if the jet engine had been supplied and the airplane built around it. It had nothing particularly new but was a summation of what at the time was known about jets and about aeronautical engineering.
At the outbreak of war in Korea, the USAF found itself with three different airplanes. The F-86 was obviously the fighter of the group. The F-84 went through several models and was adapted for the ground attack role. It carried a good deal of ordinance and could be fitted with a nuclear bomb. In addition to the usual six .50 caliber machine guns favored by the USAF at the time, it could carry a number of 5-inch rockets, useful against tanks. The low speed and lack of maneuverability were no handicap in attacking ground targets.
Through the 50s and 60s an enormous variety of models were developed for certain niche roles, such as reconnaissance, and they were used as front line airplanes by several countries. The last was retired by Turkey in 1982.
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- rmax304823
- Nov 26, 2015
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